From Bad to Worse
by Raserei Hojo
Summary: Cloud has agreed to go into the past. He will bring the younger Sephiroth to the future, so that everyone that he had killed will be revived. However, no one had a clue of just how important Sephiroth was to the past. Even if he WAS evil.
1. Time Travel

Cloud looked at the sleeping silver haired boy, who couldn't have been more than five years old.

How could some one so sweet be so evil? Cloud thought, sighing heavily. He prodded the boy carefully, seeing if he would get a response. The boy rolled over, gripping the sheets tightly.

"Mama," he mumbled quietly in his sleep.

Cloud blinked and rose a brow. It was so odd to hear the future threat to the planet say 'Mama'. Looking around the room with his dark blue eyes, he really felt sorry for the sleeping boy.

It was a laboratory. Everything was made of some kind of metal, mostly steel. It had to be below zero degrees Celsius, because Cloud could see the mist of his breath. The machines that packed the large room were all mostly turned on, and humming nonstop. The professor had made his own son sleep in this room, on the floor, without any blankets. Cloud was the one who had stolen the blanket off of the couch in the upstairs living room.

He was glad that the kid apparently wasn't claustrophobic.

"MAMA!"

Cloud's eyes shot back to the silver haired boy, who was now sitting up and sobbing quietly.

There was an annoying pang of guilt in the blonde's heart. He wrapped his arms around the boy, hugging him tightly.

"Shh, it's okay, Sephy, it was only a dream." He felt Sephiroth's body tense. "What's wrong?"

Sephiroth looked up at Cloud, his tears beginning to dry on his face. "Please don't hurt me, I swear I'll be good!"

"I'm not going to hurt you, Sephiroth," the older man replied gently. "I'm here to help you, Sephiroth."

Sephiroth's brilliant green eyes lowered to the floor. "How do you know my name," he asked quietly. Cloud sensed the fear in the voice.

"I'll explain it to you later. Right now, we don't have enough time. I need to get you out of here, away from these scientists, and away from Professor Hojo."

Sephiroth shook his head. "But I don't even know you," he protested, "and I don't know how you know me. I've never seen you before in my entire life."

Cloud sighed. Sephiroth had such an extensive vocabulary at such a young age. He picked Sephiroth up, along with the blanket, and carried him out of the lab. He covered Sephiroth's mouth with one hand, just in case Sephiroth tried to verbally protest. So, since the boy couldn't scream, he kicked and punched at Cloud instead. The blonde man ignored this, as a five-year-old's punches and kicks weren't really affective. But Sephiroth was quite strong already. Pretty soon, a bruise would form if he beat on Cloud long enough.

As Cloud ran out of the lab, out of the apartment, and out of Shinra HQ, into the streets of Midgar...He wondered if this was the right thing to do. He remembered how everyone had protested. How he was the only one who wanted to go along with the plan. The only reason they let him go was so Aeris would be resurrected. So would a plethora of other people. Tifa's father, Zack, maybe, the people of Nibelheim, and his own mother. Cloud's beloved mother.

"Cloud, are you insane_!? Going into the Life Steam to get to the past!? How stupid can you get?" Tifa shouted, slamming her fist on the table in her Seventh Heaven Bar. "Do you know what could happen? Your soul could be destroyed! You could be stuck in the past forever if the portal closes!"_

Cloud sighed again. For what must have been the tenth time that hour. "I know, Tifa, but don't you want Aeris back? Don't you want everyone back who Sephiroth killed?"

"Of course we do," Vincent said, speaking up for the first time all night. "But what if it doesn't work? Say you do manage to get back here with a younger Sephiroth. What if Sephiroth goes insane again?"

"There's nothing here to make him go insane! Professor Hojo is gone, Jenova is gone, and we can show Sephiroth his mother, Lucrecia!"

"What if he asks whom his father is?" Yuffie asked from her spot at the table.

Cloud looked at everyone. From Tifa who was getting nothing but even more angrier, to Vincent who obviously wanted Sephiroth back, but wouldn't admit it because he cared about the sake of humanity. Then to Yuffie who didn't seem to pleased with the idea of bringing Sephiroth back, to Cid, Barret, and Red XIII, whom had all firmly said no to the suggestion. Their minds would simply not be changed in the least.

Cloud shrugged to Yuffie's question. "We tell him that Vincent is his father."

Everyone stared at him.

"What? It's possible you know. There was no DNA proof that Professor Hojo was actually Sephiroth's father. It could have been Vincent who was the father."

"You know, that's possible," Yuffie said quietly. "Sephiroth does look a lot like you, Vincent. Especially the shape of the face, the hairline, and the eyes. They may not be the same color, but they are the same shape."

Vincent silently stood and walked off. They had no right to interfere with his past personal life. So what if he lost his virginity to Lucrecia on the night Professor Hojo took Vincent and experimented on him. They didn't need to make a public issue out of it.

So that night, Cloud went to the Life Steam, where it was still visible in Mideel. He slid into the small portal that had formed last week. Cloud and the other's weren't stupid. They tested the portal to see what lay on the other side, and also used guinea pigs, such as Ex-SOLDIERs and Ex-Shinras. Shinra was no more anyway.

Cloud skidded to a stop by the portal, which was slowly closing. A hard punch to the face from Sephiroth had knocked him back to reality. With a sigh, he went into the portal, back to the present.

Cloud and the others knew that the future would be changed by bringing Sephiroth from the past and into the future. But how drastically, they never had a clue, not a clue.


	2. The New Shinra Inc

Everything was...brown. There was no color in the world. Things were made of wood, and that was pretty much the base substance of everything. The buildings...well, they were like huts. Small huts with something like plastic tied to poles to form roofs. The streets were made of dirt, dry, cracked hard clay. The street signs were half in the ground, their signs brown with white painted letters on them. The paint was peeling off of the signs. In fact, some signs only had one or two letters left on them. The streets were completely empty, not a sign of any living things. It was dead silent in this New World, and a glimpse of silver in the distance caught Cloud's eye.

Cloud slowly set the little Sephiroth on the ground, running a hand through his spiky blonde hair, his mind racing to figure out what had happened. Where was everyone?

"Hello?" Cloud called. When he got no response, fear began to tug on him. "Did something happen while I was gone...?" There was a soft thumping noise that slowly faded off into the distance. Cloud blinked. Where was that sound coming from? His eyes widened as he realized that Sephiroth had run off, out into the apparently abandoned town.

"Sephiroth!" Cloud called out into the emptiness. "Sephiroth, wait! Come back here!" His voice echoed back to him. He knew Sephiroth wasn't come back, but he had no clue as to which way the boy had run off. He ran off as fast as his legs would carry him down one of the deserted streets.

Cloud kept calling for Sephiroth, and got no response. What the hell was going on? What happened in that short time Cloud was gone?

"Sephiroth! Please!"

He staggered and tripped, falling hard on the ground. The sharp stones in the dirt scraped the skin on his arms, and now he was bleeding. This just wasn't Cloud's day. He pulled himself slowly back to his feet, and his eyes locked on the metal building he had seen in the distance. The steepled roof of the building was made of pure silver and it seemed, and the steps leading up to the front doors were made of gold! There were marble columns; marble that was obviously the best quality.

Cloud's jaw dropped slightly as he read the words glowing in neon letters.

'ShinRa Inc.'

In smaller neon letters, below the name of the corporation, was,

'Here to help you become better people.'

"Better people...?" Cloud mumbled to himself. He saw Sephiroth standing by the doors, trying to reach the handles that were just a few inches to high. Cloud walked over to the silver haired boy and opened the door for him.

Sephiroth glared darkly at Cloud with narrowed eyes, his eyes were venomous and full of hatred, something Cloud never expected such a young boy to have in his expression.

"I didn't need your help," Sephiroth spat.

The blonde stared at Sephiroth. He didn't expect the boy to be so full of hatred already. Just what had Professor Hojo done to him? Surely he hadn't begun his experiments on him, had he?

"Sorry," Cloud responded. He tried to sound as nice as possible. He didn't need the boy getting any more hate filled.

Sephiroth regarded Cloud for a moment. As if he hadn't heard the phrase before. Or at least coming out of some one else's mouth. "Apology accepted," he said quietly, and walked into the fancy building. Cloud followed him, wondering just how much had changed in such a short amount of time.

The inside was all marble.

"Shinra was _not _this prettied up when I was here last."

As Cloud and Sephiroth walked through the halls that seemed never ending, Cloud noticed that there were more rooms on the first floor than before. In fact, the entire building seemed larger than before. They found the stairs. They were made of gold.

"This is where all of the money was spent. On this building," Sephiroth explained. It seemed it was more to himself than to Cloud. "That's why the place is in poverty."

"You have a huge vocabulary, Seph."

Sephiroth stopped dead. He whipped around and glared up at him. "Don't call me that."

Cloud blinked. Sephiroth didn't even like his old nickname he used to call him?

Sephiroth sighed and continued to walk, up the stairs. Cloud followed behind him., wondering how much Professor Hojo had hurt him. The longer he was with Sephiroth, the more he realized that the way he turned out wasn't his fault the way he turned out.

"Did you know that most people are born with a mental illness? Except most are so hidden away in a person, that they aren't detected unless a thorough test is done?"

Cloud blinked. He was fascinated by Sephiroth's seemingly never ending knowledge.

"I don't even know your name," Sephiroth said suddenly.

Cloud blinked. How stupid of him. He hadn't even introduced himself.

"My name is Cloud. Cloud Strife."

Sephiroth skipped the last step and bounced onto the second floor.

"You already know my name," Sephiroth said, "but nonetheless, my name is Sephiroth. I don't have a last name...I don't know who either of my parents are. But Professor Hojo and Professor Gast take care of me, so I guess they're kind of like my parents."

"Have you been around adults all of your life?"

Sephiroth slowly nodded. "Yes, and it's really boring. I've never met some one else my own age. Sometimes, Professor Gast brings me children books. To be honest, I like those better than the big textbooks Professor Hojo makes me read. I like to use my imagination. I've also come up with a little scheme too. Professor Hojo wants to study me, and see my thoughts and ideas through my drawings and my writings. I do them in watercolor, so when they try to take it from me, I just dump my water on it. I figured out how to disassemble the so-called 'hidden' cameras." He laughed softly. "It's my entertainment, making Professor Hojo angry. But..." he slowly trailed off.

"But what?" Cloud was hanging onto Little Sephiroth's each word. He was so young, so small, and knew so much. Cloud was just intrigued.

"But when I make Professor Hojo too mad...I...He hurts me..."

"He hurts you?"

"Y-yes." Sephiroth's voice was strained, and he was clearly fighting back tears. "He says I d-deserve it. I don't think I do. I don't want to be an experiment. I don't want to be his guinea pig for all of his unstable experiment." He sniffled and rubbed his eyes to rid the tears. He kept his back to Cloud the whole time. Taking a deep breath, he steadied himself and continued to walk down the next hallway.

Cloud was amazed. No wonder Sephiroth had turned out the way he did.

"Hey, Sephiroth, where are you going anyway?"

"I'm going to the lab. Or at least where I think it used to be."

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A/N: Hey! Thanks everyone for the reviews! I really appreciate it! - 


	3. The First Five Floors

The clicking sound of their feet hitting the marble echoed off the walls as the two walked down the halls, Sephiroth leading the way. They were both amazed at how much Shinra Inc. had changed. Neither one of them had seen so much marble in one place, let alone the gold staircases everywhere, doorknobs, where there were any, were made of fine crystal, and the door frames were silver. Everything around them was highly taken care of, but Cloud was wondering why Shinra Inc. looked so much better than the rest of Midgar. The buildings in the town were made of brown wood, some wood moldy; some wood charred, but wood nonetheless. This building, made of the most precious metals and other substances, so rich, so seemingly powerful, was apparently the only building that held any wealth to it. Then again, Shinra Inc. had always looked better than the rest of Midgar, but at least before the houses had some metal within or on the building. The town looked quite bland, deserted, a ghost town. Neither of them had heard anyone, so they assumed that Midgar was completely deserted, but Sephiroth had brought up the point not to really assume anything unless you've done a thorough investigation.

Sephiroth stopped in the middle of the hallway to view a golden podium with papyrus paper on it, black ink marking out a sort of map.

Papyrus? Cloud thought to himself. _Papyrus hasn't been used for ages!_

"Perhaps since the usage of wood for housing has increased, the level of trees has decreased as a result, and they had to resort to using papyrus?" Sephiroth asked himself aloud, as if reading Cloud's mind, and then he continued, "Wouldn't fewer trees lead to a lack of oxygen?"

Cloud stared for a moment. To him, it seemed that with every word Sephiroth spoke, the boy was becoming smarter. He then began to wonder if it was because of the Jenova cells, if they were already put into him, the Mako, which it looked like he was free from, for the moment at least, or if it was just Sephiroth's pure intelligence. Sephiroth had always seemed so smart, but he never shared information with others unless it was absolutely necessary, and it was never necessary. He never repeated himself either. He wouldn't even tell the young Shinras and SOLDIERs what the battle plan was, claiming it was the President's duty to do so. Sephiroth believed he was only there to train his SOLDIERs, and that is what he did. He trained them until they could not have gotten any better in their skills, but everyone knew that no one would ever surpass General Sephiroth.

Sephiroth traced his small pale fingers along the path of the map, standing on his tiptoes to see. Cloud offered to lift him up, but only got a sharp dark glare in return. Clearly, no matter what, Sephiroth was never going to accept the help of others. He never did, and never would.

"The lab is up seventy-two stories."

"So they've added a couple new stories then?" Cloud asked, walking off. He grabbed Sephiroth by the arm and dragged him along, knowing Sephiroth wouldn't verbally protest as there could be guards lurking around anywhere, and that he wouldn't physically protest because Sephiroth was only bruising himself by beating on Cloud's armor. Sephiroth settled for a moody glare.

Patiently, Cloud pressed the up button for the elevator. The elevator wasn't working, so he tried the next one, but the results were the same. His azure eyes traveled to the staircase, gold again. There was no way Cloud could climb those flights. Maybe the first forty, at the very most. But if that was all Cloud could do, Sephiroth could do no more than ten.

"Let's take the stairs," Sephiroth suggested. "I don't think the elevators are going to work, and the stairs seem to be the only way." He slid out of Cloud's grip which had by now loosened, and trotted over to the staircase. It seemed to go on forever, up so many flights. It no longer seemed like a good idea, now that Sephiroth was face to face with the never ending stairs, but he wasn't about to admit that wrong to Cloud. He was slowly becoming attached to the young blonde man, but Sephiroth wasn't about to be fooled. There were plenty of adults that seemed nice on the outside, but turn your back on them, even for a moment, and they become backstabbers. Even some of the very few adults who aren't backstabbers, who in fact are truly kind, wouldn't do a thing about the way Professor Hojo treated his experiments. They saw what the professor did, they were just to afraid of the man and the consequences they might receive to actually call for help.

Cloud sighed and looked at Sephiroth, who seemed so intent on taking the stairs to the top. "Come back here, Sephiroth," he said sternly, hoping that it just _might _scare him enough for him to come back. Sephiroth didn't move an inch.

What was I thinking? Sephiroth wouldn't be afraid of the tone of my voice! Sephiroth was a heartless adult, so why would he be a nice warm and loving child. It rarely ever occurs that way.

Sephiroth started up the stairs, going as fast as his short little legs would take him. Almost as if running away from Cloud, but that was far from the case. Cloud quickly ran after him.

"Sephiroth!" He called uselessly, "please, come back here! I can't loose you again, because I may not be able to find you again in this building!" Cloud skid to a stop on the fifth floor as Sephiroth's footsteps had stopped. He wasn't going up the stairs. He _had _to be on this floor. Walking slowly as to catch his breath, he moved through the corridor quietly, searching for Sephiroth. He heard a slight noise, so Cloud very carefully pressed his ear up against the door. It seemed just plain metal. The voices inside seemed hollow. There was only one voice in fact. Cloud's eyes widened as he realized whom the voice belonged to. He was alive again. He had to be. By bringing Sephiroth into the future, everyone seemed to be revived.

"Sephiroth..." The voice said from behind the door, as if thinking. The faint sound of duct tape being ripped off human flesh could be heard, just barely. Then something thick, slim, like a whip, hitting the flesh. Cloud could just picture the blood oozing out. A scream rang out, obviously one of pain, and Cloud's heartbeat increased as he realized whose scream that was. She was in the same room with that sinister man. And where was Sephiroth? Surely not in there as well!

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A/N: Once again, thanks to all of you wonderful reviews! I'm so sorry for not updating sooner! I had a horrible, horrible writer's block. I think it's gone. For now anyways. - I shall do my best to update soon. 


	4. The Professor's Madness

Cloud impulsively turned the crystal knob of the door and forced it open. It wasn't even locked. Cloud's mind quickly reviewed the surroundings.

There were machines everywhere, much like in the lab from the past, only this room was much smaller. It was just as cold as well, and Cloud assumed it was so the computers wouldn't overheat. There were florescent lights overhead, which accomplished its purpose and brightened the room considerably. There was a glass cage in the corner, where a woman was hunched up as far away from the man as she could. The man held Sephiroth roughly by the arm, and held a thick whip, probably made of dragon hide.

The man was around five feet seven inches, and seemed much stronger than he should have been. His shoes were shiny and black, very dressy, and his pants were black as well, seemingly made of some extremely expensive material. His shirt was black silk, and the top two buttons weren't done. He wore a white lab coat, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, a few acid stains here and there. Jet-black seemingly oily hair rested on the man's shoulders, wavy where it was once in its ponytail. Cloud soon realized that there were a few strands of gray in the hair. The man's skin was pale, and seemed even paler than it normally would have been in the florescent light, so pale that Cloud could easily pick out the veins. A pair of thick-lens glasses rested upon his nose, which was scrunched up in disgust, the eyes behind the glasses dark, like bottomless pits, maddened, and merciless. A cocky grin was what he wore, and it fit him perfectly. A little nametag was sewn into the right breast pocket.

Professor R. Hojo.

Cloud's eyes moved to the woman, who was still trying to attempt to back out of the glass cage. Her back was against the glass though, and it was much too thick to break on her own.

The woman was wearing such a lovely, pretty pink dress, a lovely shade of pink it was. Cloud could see the wonderful curved of her body, but took no notice of that. Her long legs were pulled close to her chest, and her arms were wrapped around her knees. Her skin seemed as pale as the Professor's was, but her veins were not visible. She wore a small jacket of a much darker pink, the sleeves short, the jacket only for fashion; it wouldn't keep her warm at all. Her face was also pretty, even though it was stained with tears, even though there were bruises and a fresh bloody wound from the whip. Her green eyes were fearful, and mostly covered up by her silky bangs, her brown hair cascading down her shoulders and down her back. Her hair was still in a ponytail, and the White Materia was still in there. There was a label on it cage, and it read:

Project 17 : Centra : Subject C : Specimen A : Aeris :

Sephiroth tried to pull free from Professor Hojo. The older man had Sephiroth is much too firm of a grip to let go. Sephiroth instead looked to Cloud, his eyes not pleading for help, but were glaring, which surprised Cloud. The little boy continued to fight to be free, but was slowly loosing his energy, and eventually had to give up.

The Professor slowly turned and looked at Cloud, and for a brief instant, there was fear in those merciless black eyes of his.

"Who are you," Hojo demanded. His voice was low and harsh.

Cloud blinked, and then he smirked. Hojo had no clue who he was, because he was never able to do anything to him. But then another thought came to his mind.

If Hojo never created me or whatever the hell he did to me, then...How am I here?

"Who are you," Hojo repeated, this time, his voice taking a rather deadly tone.

Cloud remained silent and still, his brain unable to register anything. He had to come up with a name. He could also just snatch Sephiroth and run, but he wouldn't leave Aeris there alone. Not with this madman. He racked his brain, searching for any name, but the Professor soon interrupted his train of thought.

"You! You're that man! You're the one that stole my experiment!" Hojo hissed. He held up Sephiroth with one arm, the boy dangling a few feet off the floor, for emphasis. Hojo laughed for a moment. "Aha, you thought I wouldn't notice you, eh? Well the security cameras caught you! I wouldn't forget your face, you stole my experiment, and you almost lost me my job!" He continued to rave, "And here, you have returned, returned again with my experiment, and neither of you has aged a bit! It was as if you had come from that very day! Tell me, was it time travel? Is that how you did it? Why did you steal my experiment? Nevermind, I have no time for you answers, I have no need for them. I can just pry the information out of my experiment."

"I'm not your experiment," Sephiroth protested. His hand curled up into tiny fists, and he wanted to beat on this man, this man who had raised him for five years, and made sure that he was in his own private little hell in each moment of it. "So stop calling me that. I have a name, and you know it, and it's not Code 1, it's Sephiroth!"

Professor Hojo was paying no attention to the boy. "I'm going to take you to Jenova," he said simply, as if it were daily routine. In fact, it probably had been in the past. Professor Hojo grinned almost insanely as the little boy's eyes widened in terror.

"No! I don't want to go see her! I don't want anything else in my body! It's bad!"

Cloud's own hands curled into fists, and he had to resist the urge to punch the crazy old man. It could put Sephiroth in danger, or maybe even Aeris. His arms were shaking, and his brain was telling his arms to do it, as if it didn't matter.

I have to remain calm, he reminded himself.

Aeris watched quietly from her cage, wanting to help, but unable to do a thing about the situation.

Hojo pressed a button on one of the computers.

"Attention all Shinra Employees, and Personal, report to the main laboratory, I have a special experiment to show you." Hojo smirked at Cloud, walked out, and the door slammed shut. An automatic door. Cloud knew it was locked, he heard the noise, and he saw the metal bars rush down to the floor from the ceiling. He hated himself for not acting out his plan of punching the Professor.

Cloud quickly ran over to Aeris, and said quietly, "Are you okay?"

Aeris slowly nodded. "Are you going to help me escape?"

"You mean there's a way out of this room besides that door?"

Aeris nodded and pointed to the main control panel. Cloud went over to it, and was tempted to just bring his fists down on it and smash it to bits. He resisted however.

"Press the small green button with a yellow dot in the center."

Oh yeah, Cloud sarcastically thought, _I'm actually going to find that one particular button in this sea of controls!_

He searched for a full fifteen minutes before he finally pressed the right one. The glass lifted from Aeris' cage, and she slowly and shakily walked out and moved over to Cloud.  
  
"My name is Aeris," she said quietly, "and thank you for helping me out of that cage."

So Aeris doesn't remember me. Just fantastic.

He gave a mental sigh, and looked around the room. "My name is Cloud, but we really have to get out of here."

"Yes," Aeris replied, nodding, "there's a vent in the ceiling we can use." She made her way over to a chair and pulled it over to the vent. Cloud climbed onto the chair and pulled off the cover, the metal clacking to the floor loudly. Aeris was busy redirecting the camera without allowing herself to be seen. When she was finished, she went over to Cloud who had climbed up into the vent. He held out a hand for Aeris. She climbed onto the chair and took Cloud's hand, and he hoisted the woman into the space with him. Cloud then reached down, grabbed the chair, and tossed it over to the computers.

"So which way do we go?"

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A/N: Wow. I never would have thought I would get so many positive reviews! You guys were so nice and you guys inspired me! Therefore, I present you with this chapter! Thank you so much for all of your reviews! 


	5. Imprisonment

Professor Hojo dragged little Sephiroth throughout the halls of New Shinra Inc. Now that Sephiroth was alone with this strange man, this man whom he had known all of his life, and that other blonde man, Cloud, wasn't around, Sephiroth was silently crying. He had actually thought, that for just a few hours, he would be safe from the Professor. But of course, he was wrong. He was always wrong.

Hojo threw open the door to the laboratory, where SOLDIERs and scientists were waiting for him. Hojo gave them a cocky grin, and held up the boy by the arm, the grin growing wider as Sephiroth's feet were very far from the ground.

"Look what I've found," he said in his cold voice. "My experiment has come back to me, after all of these years."

The President of the company walked over to Hojo and examined Sephiroth, who was now furiously wiping at his tears.

"I see," the beefy man murmured, grabbing Sephiroth's pale face with his large hand. He turned his face to the left and then to the right. "He doesn't look any older than he was last I saw him."

Professor Hojo stared at President Shinra as if here were a complete idiot. The nerve of that man, even _thinking _he was capable of running the company. In fact, President Shinra did no such thing as 'running the company'. He sat in his chair all day while the scientists toiled away in the labs, and the SOLDIERs trained all day. The other members of staff took care of the company, not the president, and they didn't even get a raise in their salary! And yet Preside Shinra continued to act as if he were the one really in charge. Professor Hojo rolled his eyes. Typical boss-like behavior, he thought moodily.

Sephiroth bit his lip. He felt his body shivering in fear, which made him both even more fearful and upset. How was he supposed to be a world known General one day if he was cowering like a two-year-old now? He took a few deep breaths to steady himself. His chest tightened as he saw the Professor frown.

The Professor did not like it when the child hid his emotions. Especially not fear. He loved when he could make people fear him, and it was even sweeter when a mere child feared him. Children aren't supposed to know what real fear is. They were afraid of the monsters under the bed, the far back sweater in the closet that resembles a monster from a scary movie. They weren't afraid of true fear.

_You're not afraid of the dark, and you're not afraid of any monsters. You don't believe the stories of the monsters that eat little children. You don't think that those stories are true. Well they are, Sephiroth. Believe me, they are. You're going to be afraid soon enough, even if you try to hide it. The fear will show through, little Sephiroth._

Sephiroth swallowed dryly. Hojo was tightening his grasp on him. It hurt to breathe, it hurt to stare into the emotionless black pits of Hojo's eyes. But there was a sparkle of emotion there. Sephiroth didn't like it. That was the only emotion he ever saw of Hojo's, that emotion that later, ended up in glee. Sephiroth's breath caught in his throat, and he thought of opening his mouth to protest. But he knew what the punishment would be, so he kept his mouth firmly shut.

"We can finally continue our experiments!" Hojo said, actually grinning. The SOLDIERs stared blankly at the Professor. Had he gone mad? Some of the scientists seemed enthused, while others, they clearly did not want to be present at the moment.

Professor Hojo threw Sephiroth to the floor. The boy skidded a few feet and lay there, very still.

"Tie him up. Get him ready for the experiments."

The SOLDIERs nodded and grabbed Sephiroth tightly by his wrists and ankles. Sephiroth didn't bother trying to struggle. He'd given up on escaping. All he could do was hope that Cloud would come back soon for him. The rope was tied and they carried the boy off.

The scent of blood was in the air, and young Sephiroth prayed that his blood wouldn't join it. They passed glass cages with suffering creatures inside, cages splattered with blood and cages where the inhabitants inside were unmoving. Sephiroth swallowed as the fear welled up inside of him.

_When a human body can no longer contain an emotion, there has to be some way to express it. Tears form in the eyes to rid the body of the emotion. _

"The book..." Sephiroth sniffed and bit his lip. He toughed out the long journey to the last glass cage where he was thrown inside. And then, when the guards had left, Sephiroth sat under the blindspot of the video camera. He wrapped his arms around his knees as he pulled his legs close to his chest. And he began to cry.

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_**Author's Notes: Well...It's updated! Eheh. Review? >. Sorry it took so long!**  
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	6. Experimentations : Part I

_**Author's Note**:_ _Once again, I apologize for not updating any of my stories for another…forever amount of time. But I've been laden down with a few ailments, one of them being acute bronchitis. But, today, I received a review, and that got my sparks going! Now, I'm going to start typing the actual story before those sparks fade…_

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It had been many hours, and young Sephiroth knew it had to be late in the evening. Perhaps even dawn was approaching. It didn't matter how late it was, because he would not bring himself to sleep in the brightly lit lab.

He sniffed occasionally, wiping the tears that kept forming in his eyes. He held onto his hope, the tiny strand of light in the darkness he was lost in. Cloud would come for him, he had to! Cloud owed it to Sephiroth to come and rescue him. He jumped slightly as the glass cage's door was shoved open, and one of the professors stepped inside.

Sephiroth squinted up, trying to read the label.

_Professor Valentine_

It was a nice name, but no matter how nice it was, that didn't make the man seem any less scary. With thick, flowing raven hair and glaring red eyes, it looked as though he were some kind of animal. Those red eyes slowly moved down to meet Sephiroth's fearful green ones. Sephiroth could have swore that those eyes softened just a bit when they made eye contact. Professor Valentine was dressed in black slacks and a starch white lab coat that came down to his knees. He was dressed a bit formally with a silver band on one of his ring fingers. The other arm… was different.

The professor cleared his throat, trying to shake off the sentimental feeling. "My name is Professor Valentine, and you will address me as such. Understood?" He had to take authority, he couldn't be controlled by this little child, especially a spawn of Professor Hojo.

Sephiroth slowly nodded. He never liked to be so cooperative with the professors, but that tranquilizer they gave him a while ago was really starting to mess with his brain. Sometimes, like now, images blurred for a long while before returning to their original form. The need to sleep was growing, but Sephiroth wouldn't give in, not yet.

"I'm taking you to the 18th floor. We'll begin the examinations there."

Professor Valentine picked up the child and carried him off, through the halls and to the elevator. As he pressed the button for the 18th floor, he couldn't help but notice how much Sephiroth looked like his mother.

The elevator shifted and began its journey to the 18th floor. Professor Valentine stared down at the small boy in his arms. "Don't fall asleep, you have to stay up for the experiments."

Sephiroth rested his head against Professor Valentine's shoulder. He sniffed again and looked around at all of the riches that Shinra HQ possessed. "Excuse me, but…what happened to your arm?"

Professor Valentine looked down at the golden clawed arm of his. "Hm, well, let's just say Professor Hojo gave me what I deserved. He'll do the same to you if you mess up anything."

Sephiroth swallowed dryly, and Professor Valentine felt a pang of guilt.

He set the little boy on an examination table and took off Sephiroth's shirt. He gently pressed on Sephiroth's chest to lay him flat on his back. "Remember, no dozing off. Professor Hojo will be here shortly."

Sephiroth, failing to stifle a yawn, glanced about the room. Bleak, and dim. Unusual for one of the experimentation rooms.

Within a few minutes, Professor Hojo came dashing into the room, glasses on the verge of falling off his nose. He huffed, pushing the glasses back into place, and smiles insanely as his black eyes met his son's.

"Professor Hojo."

Professor Hojo looked back at his colleague. "Yes, Valentine?"

"I wanted to remind you that killing the…specimen…will have you fired."

"Yes," he waved his hand impatiently, "yes, I know. But I've got this all planned out. Sephiroth won't die. But, I can't say he won't be in a great deal of pain." His eyes grew wide as the pleasure inside him began to soar to its maximum. After all of these long years of waiting, he would finally be able to experiment on the useless thing considered his son.

Professor Valentine moved a large mechanical arm over Sephiroth's small body. Light suddenly flooded from it, pouring onto the face of Sephiroth, who was wincing in pain, squinting his eyes, trying not to stare at it directly. If he closed his eyes, he feared he would fall asleep. Even though the light was blinding.

"Are you comfy, my little prize experiment?" Professor Hojo sarcastically asked.

Sephiroth glared at him. "Why are you doing this?"

Professor Hojo leaned down, his nose touching the youth's, his head acting as a shield from the relentless bright light.

"Because I can, my dear boy. I am evil, and I enjoy torturing innocent people. I love to see you squirm in fear, I love the way a child's eyes grow wide at the sight of evil."

"You're sick!" Sephiroth shouted, attempting to get up. But Professor Valentine was busy cuffing Sephiroth's arms to the metal examination table.

"Yes. Yes, I am sick, Little Sephiroth. But it's my job. I'm paid to be sick, cruel, and uncaring. It's what I do best."

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes. "Don't you call me that!"

"Oh, goodness gracious," the sarcastic professor continued, "I think the tranquilizer has done more than calm him down. It seems to be acting like a stimulant. Oh well, all medications work differently on each individual."

Professor Valentine silently went to the back of the room to gather some equipment, listening to the deranged man ramble on.

Professor Hojo straightened, glaring down at the tiny boy. "So young, and you already have a fountain of knowledge, worthy of at least a young adult. I would admire you if you weren't so…"

Sephiroth gathered his courage. He was fueled by hate, but not towards Hojo. Towards Cloud, who clearly wasn't coming to his rescue. "If I weren't so _what_?"

"My, you certainly _are _cocky. As I was saying, I would admire you if you weren't so easily coaxed into doing something."

"I don't do everything people say…"

"Oh, but you do. Before, when I kept you in the basement, you did what I told you to. Even if you needed a little persuasion. You were afraid of the needles and the beatings and other punishments you would get."

Professor Hojo leaned close to Sephiroth's face again and whispered, "Where's your hero? Where is that blonde man? You listened to him, you fool. He tricked you into coming here! He was working with me all along…"

"You're lying!" Sephiroth's face scrunched up as he tried to hold back his tears. "Be quiet! He's…he'll come!"

"Oh, no, Sephiroth, I'm afraid no one's coming to save you. You'll be here, with me, forever."

Professor Valentine watched Sephiroth tremble and silently cry. Eventually, he forced himself to return with an armful of equipment.

"Shall we begin, then, Valentine?"

Professor Valentine nodded.

To begin with, Professor Hojo took an extremely thin, long needle from a case. He filled it with transparent liquid and tilted Sephiroth's head all the back. "Now, stay still. It will hurt worse if you move. Not that it matters…I just don't want this to squirt in my eye."

Sephiroth tightly shut his eyes. He felt the sharp point of the needle come in contact with the center of his neck. He tensed completely as he felt it pierce his tender flesh. He tightly gripped the sides of the table as the needle went a full inch in. Professor Hojo slowly pressed the release button in the needle and watched the liquid make its way into the body of the five-year-old.

Professor Hojo grinned. After all of these years, he could begin his experiments.

Professor Valentine glared at the floor. He never thought he would see Sephiroth again. But, there he was. He hadn't aged a day. Why was he letting Professor Hojo experiment on the son of his beloved? He had still made that promise to himself…Dare he break it? Was it too late?

The minutes ticked by and Professor Valentine slowly brought his eyes up to look at Sephiroth, who was in slight convulsions. His body wasn't adjusting well at all to the serum. But Professor Hojo pressed on, injecting Sephiroth with every liquid that wouldn't kill Sepiroth possible. With each injection, Sephiroth screamed louder, thrashed harder.

_Why am I letting that man touch Sephiroth…?_


	7. More Questions Arise

**Authors Note:** _Now, now, everyone, don't you all have a heart attack! I know, I know, two updates in one day, when before, the updates were a month or more apart! Here's the thing.. A few minutes after I posted chapter six, I was sitting here going through all of the reviews for this story… I just started to feel all warm and fuzzy inside! So, you guys all deserve another update for being so generous with your reviews! On with the story… While I wonder why my author's notes are getting to be so long! I hope you guys still remember this story…

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_

Cloud and Aeris made their way through Shinra HQ for several hours. Their feet were aching and both of them were starting to complain.

"Where on Earth could they have taken Sephiroth?" Cloud yelled at the ceiling.

Aeris quickly covered Cloud's mouth. "Hush! Do you want them to find us and throw us in jail?"

"Psh, these SOLDIERs are all sissies. We saved the world, remember?"

"…No."

Cloud sighed, "I keep forgetting you don't remember a thing."

"I don't understand it though. You say you're from another…reality. Right?"

Cloud nodded his head. "Right."

"You say that Sephiroth went psycho five and a half years ago, and burnt down Nibelheim. Right?"

"Yeah."

"You also told me about how you were made to be a clone of Sephiroth after he had 'died' after the Nibelheim incident."

"Well…I'm not all that sure anymore. I'm just so confused about that. I have all of these memories about five years ago, when I was little and I lived in Nibelheim with Tifa. And…I remember when her mom died. She got really sad and one day decided to travel to Mt. Nibelheim. All her friends chickened out along the way, but I followed her. I don't think she noticed me but…Suddenly, the ropes holding the bridge snapped. We both fell and landed in a gorge. Tifa's dad found us. He blamed me for everything. Tifa was in a coma for weeks."

Aeris silently listened.

"That's the only memory I can believe is true. I guess…it's because of my friend, Zack. He had told me so many stories, and like an idiot, I morphed them into my own reality, with me being the hero. I don't know what's true anymore."

"I'm just wondering…If you were made a clone after Sephiroth's death five and a half years ago in Nibelheim…And you brought Sephiroth to the future, that you thought would be the same one you left…He wouldn't be there to cause the destruction of Nibelheim. You wouldn't have been made at all."

"So I wasn't a clone?"

"Who knows? But Sephiroth didn't exist for about 25 years. He just kind of…poofed. If there was no fire in Nibelheim, then Nibelheim would still there. Everyone who lived there, too. There would be no need to make a clone of a person who didn't exist. So how could you be here if you were a clone?"

"I don't know…I'm just so confused, and talking about it isn't helping either."

"Look, I know Sephiroth is important to you…but we have to see what's going on."

"What! I can't leave Sephiroth here! Hojo will _murder _him, don't you understand?"

"Look…Cloud, I understand. But we need to figure out what happened. I know Hojo's mean, but he wouldn't kill Sephiroth. He's too valuable to him." She placed her hands on Cloud's shoulders and shook him gently. "We need to find everyone who was with you when we 'saved the world'. Maybe one of them can explain what's going on."

Cloud looked at the floor. Could he really trust Hojo to let Sephiroth live? "Do you know if Nibelheim is still standing?"

Aeris shook her head. "Nobody knows much about Nibelheim. It's so small and isolated."

Cloud's eyes moved across the wall. A phone. That would solve everything. Or at least _one _of his problems. He raced to it and grabbed the receiver. "Aeris, do you have any change? It's a payphone."

"I've been in that cage for months. Why would I have change?"

"Well, I hope she'll answer a collect call."

"She?" Aeris watched Cloud hit the operator and sighed. Cloud was so confusing sometimes.

"It's ringing!"

"Let's hope the phone's not destroyed. Who are you calling anyway?"

"Shh! Shh!"

Aeris quieted down and watched him.

"Hello?" came the voice of the woman on the other end of the line.

"Is this…"

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_Short chapter, yes, but it's something! And I tried to make this a bit of a cliffhanger, while putting together some information to help…and/or confuse you! It's my job! Go on, guess who he's calling. You know, I think my author's notes are as long as the story sometimes!_


	8. Experimentations : Part II

**Author's Note:** _It's true! I'm alive again! And it's only been a few days. Amazing. I'm having a ton of inspiration right now, so here goes another chapter. Hey, maybe you can expect updates for this story weekly? Anyways, on with the story that people seem to like! Thanks again to all of you wonderful reviewers out there! Please, continue telling me what you think! It inspires me so very much!_

* * *

He lay there on the examination table, staring blankly above at the burning white light. There was no longer any kind of pain…or was there? He was cold, but he could feel a peculiar warmth trickling down his face. Some fell into his mouth, and it tasted coppery. What was it? As he pondered what the substance was, his thoughts weren't completely formed. He couldn't concentrate, and he hated it. The two professors, Professor Hojo and Professor Valentine were still in the room. Professor Hojo was going over results for the last test on young Sephiroth, while Professor Valentine was cleaning up the spilled vials of testing solutions. They were both silent.

Sephiroth felt his stomach rumble. His stomach said he was hungry, yet his mind opposed it. Feeling as though he would vomit with or without eating, he tried to sit up, but the bonds firmly held him in place. He uttered a groan and fell onto his back with a dull thud. He felt like the world was going in slow motion while he remained stationary.

Professor Hojo grabbed yet another needle and prepared to fill it with a dark blue substance. However, Professor Valentine grabbed his colleague's wrist to hold him back. "If you keep pumping those things into him, he _will _die."

"What's a little pain? I told you before, these substances won't kill Sephiroth," Hojo spat. He ripped his arm away from the younger professor and continued filling the needle.

"Maybe separately they wouldn't do any harm, but all at once, and such short intervals! Even if you don't care how much pain he goes through, at least consider the fact that he might die and your research could be ruined forever."

Professor Hojo raised a thin black brow and gazed at Professor Valentine. "Ruined forever, you say?" He laughed and shook his head. "No, no, I've thought ahead, my dear boy. You see, I've already taken his DNA."

Professor Valentine nodded. "Yes, I know. That was the second thing we did. But that isn't going to bring him back to life if he dies, Professor Hojo!"

The older professor grinned. "Yes, yes, I know. If Sephiroth doesn't make it through the experimentation process, I always have a backup method."

"Backup method, sir?"

"Yes…His DNA. I can construct a model of a human figure and use inject Code One's DNA into the body. He would be exactly the same."

"Not entirely," Professor Valentine argued. "His mind would be different. What if this new constructive body you make thinks differently? What if this…thing…finds a way to escape? What would we do then?"

Professor Hojo glanced at the writhing child on the examination table. "Code One could escape quite easily. If he had the strength and the energy that is. I'm going to help him with that. With these ancient Jenova cells…"

"Jenova!" Professor Valentine gasped, "Professor Hojo, are you serious? You can't inject a five-year-old with Jenova cells! You shouldn't even be giving him half the injections you already are."

Sephiroth merely coughed, and called out, a bit too late, "My name isn't Code One, it's Sephiroth…"

Professor Hojo made his way to the boy, black boots clicking loudly on the metal floor. "I will call you what I want to call you, and right now, I feel like calling you Code One. Is that okay with _you_, Code One?"

Sephiroth watched him with unfocused green eyes and kept silent.

"I mean, obviously, you have a mind too, your own personality. You don't mind if I call you Code One, do you?"

When Sephiroth made no reply, he brought out the needle filled with blue liquid and pointed it dangerously close to Sephiroth's wrist.

"But it isn't my name," Sephiroth finally announced.

"Do you _really_ think I care?" He inserted the needle into Sephiroth's main artery and grinned gleefully as Sephiroth writhed.

Professor Valentine watched, nearly horrified. He himself couldn't take much more of Professor Hojo torturing the little boy, the son of his own beloved.

"Stop it!"

Professor Hojo slowly and painfully pulled the needle from Sephiroth's sore wrist and turned to face Professor Valentine. "What was that?"

"You can't continue doing what you're doing! I won't let you! You're going far beyond what any of us agreed to do. Even before he was born, you promised you wouldn't hurt him."

"Professor Valentine, are you really so naïve? Haven't all of those years in that coffin done anything for you? Haven't you realized that I don't keep my promises?"

Professor Valentine curled his remaining human hand into a fist. His golden clawed arm merely twitched. "You dirty lowdown…" He shook his head. "No, you're not even worth it." He slid his arms out of the starch white lab coat and threw it to the floor. And in his rage, he kicked the table nearest to him, succeeding in damaging it enough to have all of the chemicals come flying off. "I quit. I quit! I quit this job of torturing people, no one deserves what you put them through! You're just a crazy old man, bent on your delusions of ruling this damned company and all of the evil things kept within."

Professor Hojo merely ran a hand through his hair. "Quit if you like, _Vincent_, I really don't care. You'll be the one begging for food on the street corner eventually."

"And I don't care about that either." He turned his back to the professor and walked towards the door. But then he stopped, glancing back towards the older man. "I have two final things to say to you."

"Oh? And what would that be?"

"Every rose that grows in the dusty, dry plains of the desert, has half the chance to survive than a garden of roses in protected greenery. But the rose that blooms freely in the desert is found more precious than a thousand roses growing in a garden."

Professor Hojo rose both brows at him at that comment. "And that means…?"

Vincent shook his head. "You're so smart? You figure it out on your own. If you can't, you'll see what I mean later." He took a few more steps, stopping at the doorway. "Oh, and that girl, Aeris? The Centra, Ancient, whatever you wish to call her?"

Professor Hojo leaned closer to the door. "Yes? What about her?"

"She's not in her cell." With that, he walked away, shutting the heavy doors with a soft _thud_ behind himself.

Professor Hojo stood there, speechless. He finally got his hands on the missing experiment, and the last Centra in existence escaped? He ran to the far end of the lab and pressed the 'speaker' button.

"All first-class SOLDIERs, this is a red alert! The Centra, Code A-172 has escaped! I have no idea how long it has been since she managed to get out of her cell, but I have a feeling she may still be in the building! I want her, and I want her _alive_. Feel free to use any method to catch her, but be sure that she remains living and breathing, or I will see to it that you end up like her in a matter of seconds!" He released the button and heard the thundering sound of the SOLDIERs boots hitting the floor, spreading out in different directions. Well, at least they were quick. He pressed the button again. "All second-class SOLDIERs, listen up. I want you all to get to your dorms and gather your weapons. Then head to the training room. I want you all top-shape for the war that's due to break out any day this week or the next."

The noise of pounding feet was heard once again. Professor Hojo smirked. That was all of the soldiers he would need for now. He glanced down at his desk. There was the letter…

_June 15th, '87_

_President Shinra,_

_We have discovered a terrorist group in southern Wutai. They plan to sneak into Midgar, Kalm, and any other surround areas. They were not equipped very well, but they still had enough weaponry to cause huge mayhem. Sir, we ask that you send 1500 members of SOLDIER to the Wutai area so we can secure the perimeter. We have taken the Wutai terrorist group into custody as a warning to all other groups that may be hiding in the local area. If something is not done, war will most surely break out. Midgar cannot handle another war. The only place that has any actual funds is Shinra HQ. This is not nearly enough to cover for damage if the building is destroyed. If we loose any sections of Midgar, it will automatically cause a crisis. Any other attacks can be dealt with, but me must keep Midgar in high priority._

_General Maximilion Lopez_

The staff had urged the president to supply General Lopez with troops. They begged the man to listen to the wise general for once. No one needed another war. Not after the terrible loss they suffered during the last war with Wutai. It started as a small town, and grew into a whole nation. It had taken over the entire continent and then moved onto the edges of the surrounding continents. It was madness. If something wasn't done soon, even Professor Hojo knew that Shinra would fall. And if Shinra fell under Wutai power, the once small, unnoticed town would end up controlling the entire world.

But the Professor only had two things on his mind. Code One and Code A-172.


	9. A Flower Left To Wilt

**Author's Note:** _I wrote this chapter a week ago. But, unfortunately, one of my stories had this false 'infraction' which locked my account up for nine days. I'm having lots of issues and the site isn't helping! But, I promised I would try to get a weekly update for this story, so here it is. Thanks to Riyoji Jeremishou for the inspiration! Kudos to her. And you should try reading her stories as well (it's her username). Her stories are all descriptive and awesome. But don't forget about mine over here! Now then, onto the story.  
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**_

"…Mom?"

"Cloud? Sweetie! I'm so glad you called! How are you doing, Dear?"

Cloud swallowed dryly. His mother was…alive. And he knew for a fact that she had died five years ago. He had seen the fire that destroyed nearly all of Nibelheim. He had been unable to do anything about the fire, it had already spread rapidly and gone far out of control. He spent a few moments trying to calm himself. His mother was alive. He couldn't help but be overwhelmed with joy.

"I'm…I'm great. And you?"

"I've been so worried about you Cloud, you never call."

Oh, yes, that was his mother on the other line. Perfectly happy and worrying over every little thing wrong. But that didn't matter to Cloud.

"I'm sorry. How is everything in Nibelheim?"

"Well, it hasn't rained in weeks and…"

Now that the happiness was slowly dying off and replaced with the feeling 'what was I thinking when I said that', Cloud let his mind somewhat wander off. Five percent of his brain was still listening to his mother in case she said something…important. Doubtful. But he had managed to get the information he had wanted. Nibelheim was standing, hopefully forever, and there were no fires that needed to be worried about.

"Well, my friend Aeris and I would like to visit. Would that be okay?"

"Of course! I'm so glad you have a girlfriend, Cloud."

"Uhm, she's not my—"

"I've always wanted you to marry someone who could take care of you—"

"Mom!"

"Sorry, Dear."

"I'll be there either today or tomorrow. Love you, Mom. Bye." He sighed with relief and hung up the phone.

The sound of heavy feet hitting the hard floor rang out loudly. The floor even began to vibrate.

"What's going on!" Aeris exclaimed, very much alarmed.

"The SOLDIERs…They're coming," Cloud merely whispered.

"Then we should get out of here, and hurry."

"But Sephiroth—"

"Cloud…I know he's important to you. But Hojo won't kill an experiment. I promise you that. We need to find out what's going on, it could be extremely dangerous. Not just to Sephiroth, or the two of us, but maybe…"

"Maybe what?"

"Maybe it's bigger than just this one town. Now come on, Cloud. Please, you have to trust me."

Very hesitantly, Cloud nodded. He hated to admit it, but he had grown quite fond of the world's past threat. He was so cute. He tried to be tough, but he knew that Sephiroth understood everything that was happening around him. That he was just Hojo's toy and nothing more.

Aeris gently took Cloud's arm and led him to an elevator.

"Hey, don't we need a Card Key for that?" Cloud queried. He carefully examined the elevator door. "Wait, where's the slot?"

"The elevators don't need Card Keys. They threw that idea out ages ago. Nowadays, they use plain old keys."

"What's the difference?"

"There isn't one. But they think there is." Aeris rolled her eyes. "And to think, this is the company that's ruling the world." She giggled at the thought of President Shinra finally meeting his downfall. "When President Shinra dies—"

"His son takes over the company," Cloud finished.

"Well, true. And after Rufus dies, then the world can return to peace. After we find out what's going on."

Cloud nodded. "Right."

"Hold it _right there _you two."

Cloud and Aeris froze. Had they been caught? With a shaky breath, Cloud whirled around, aiming his Ultima Weapon at the person to whom the voice belonged too. A sword against a gun would be no good, but he could use the width of his sword to defend himself and Aeris if he needed to.

"Professor Valentine!" Aeris chimed.

Cloud blinked. "Vincent?"

Vincent walked over to Cloud and examined him, head to toe. "Who are you? You seem to be familiar. Ah, you're that Strife boy that Hojo keeps talking about."

"You're working for President Shinra now?" Cloud's eyes were icy. He couldn't be too sure of who to trust anymore because of the difference in the future that was now his present.

"Was. I _was _working for him and Professor Hojo. I've just quit. I no longer want to be a part of corrupting and hurting Code—I mean, Sephiroth."

"What are they doing to Sephiroth?"

"He's experimenting on him, trying to find out how much he's changed, and how much he can do to him."

"Is that creep hurting him?"

Vincent's eyes softened and sighed. "Yes. He is. But there's nothing we can do. If we try to stop him, Hojo will only send all of his top-class SOLDIERs after us."

"Sephiroth…"

Aeris gently touched Cloud's shoulder. "It will all be worth it when we find out what's going on."

Cloud curled his fingers around Vincent's shirt and pulled him to eye level. "Do you remember me?"

Vincent calmly stared down at Cloud's determined face and dark blue eyes. "I've never seen you before. At least, not in real life. I've seen you in a video clip once. You were sneaking into the lab. The security cameras caught you. Then, you took young Sephiroth and ran off with him to who knows where. And here you are today."

"You don't remember anything? Meteor? Lucrecia?"

"…Lucrecia? Yes, I know of her."

"Do you remember meeting her in that cave? Under the waterfall?"

"Please, Mr. Strife, I do not recall anything. Why are you asking me such things?"

"Professor Valentine, Cloud says that you, me, him, and a bunch of other people were involved in saving our world. There was a meteor that was supposed to come and destroy it. I saved it by praying for Holy, and the others all defeated Sephiroth in battle."

"You believe him? It seems to me that…well, he may need some examination. Are you sure he doesn't have an overdose of Mako?"

"Vincent! Please! You were asleep in your coffin for about thirty years…You were in love with Lucrecia! But she ran off with Hojo and Sephiroth was born."

Vincent's human hand twitched. "How do you know this?"

"Because I was there! Please Vincent, you have to believe me. We need your help. We have absolutely no idea what's ahead of us."

"Please, Vincent. You've helped me out thus far," Aeris added. "Believe Cloud. His story makes sense in a way."

Vincent was quiet for a while. But the sound of footsteps were growing louder. He inserted his own key into the slot, and pushed Cloud and Aeris. "In here," he said simply before entering the elevator himself. The doors slid shut just as the sea of blue and red clad soldiers came into view.

"Vincent, will you join us?" Aeris asked, hopeful.

Cloud seemed reluctant to ask again. He wanted Vincent on his side again, but he wasn't going to pester the man if he didn't want to join.

"I will do anything for my love. After all, I am still repenting."

"So will you?" Aeris asked again.

"I don't know, young Aeris. I know you can see the light in people's hearts. But you are too open minded at times, and accept everything that's told to you."

Aeris was silent. "That isn't true, Professor Valentine. I know Cloud is telling the truth."

"He may very well be telling the truth. But he could be telling it from what _he _thinks. It may not have really happened."

"Then explain how he knows us!"

"I'm famous and you're…"

"He knows me because he's known me for a long time. We saved the world together, Professor Vincent."

Cloud sighed and looked at Vincent. One more time. "Help me save Lucrecia's one and only son." A low blow, but maybe it would work.

Vincent pondered this. "I will tell you this. For now, I will separate from you two and go off on my own journey to find my own truth. But when I feel I am ready, and I feel that what Mr. Strife says is true…Then I will join you."

Aeris sighed and looked at Cloud.

"It's good enough," Cloud said in a resigning voice.

"I will head to Junon, and see what I can find there."

"We'll be in Nibelheim for a while. You know, in case you change your mind."

The elevator hit the first floor. The three half-expected to see the floor cluttered with the SOLIDERs.

"We got on first, remember?" Vincent said, stepping out of the elevator and walking off. "You have a few more seconds before the other elevators all reach this floor."

Cloud and Aeris looked at each other and nodded. They ran past Vincent and out of the building.

"Perhaps we'll meet sooner than you expect!" Vincent called out to them. He too walked out of Shinra HQ and down the lonely, barren streets.

"Oh, my sweet martyr, why must you leave your flower to wilt?"

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**Author's Note:** _Okay, okay, I know Vincent's poetry sucks! But I'm not a poet! Again, I'm sorry it took so long to update. I was going to post it last Friday, but that was the day I got my infraction._


	10. Welcome To Nibelheim

**Author's Notes: _Oh my! Can it be true? The first double-digit chapter? Heh, yeah, chapter ten is finally up. I hope that this chapter is up one or two days early. But anyways, before I go on forever rambling, I present to thee, Chapter Ten! And don't worry, none of the scenes are PG-13, it's just Cloud being…reminiscent._**

Sweaty and exhausted, Cloud and Aeris finally stepped over the boarder line.

**Welcome to Nibelheim**

They looked at each other and grinned. That three day trek was finally over. A car was too expensive to rent so they had to walk. They were both starving and in dire need of a nice warm shower. Aeris' smile grew even warmer as she saw the shining happiness in Cloud's eyes. Nibelheim was still standing, perfectly fine. He led Aeris to his mother's home, and stopped in front of the tiny house to admire it, and also to reminisce. How long had it been…?

Before he had the chance to knock, the door was wrenched open and Mrs. Strife grabbed her son and held him in a tight bear hug.

"Oh, Cloud! You're home! It's been so long!"

Cloud closed his eyes and sniffed his mother's scent of roses and lilies. He had never thought he would be able to be held like this by his mother again. Sephiroth had destroyed everything that was Cloud's, physical and abstract. But Sephiroth had also brought Cloud greater joy. Cloud now finally understood how important his family and friends were. He wasn't that lone Ex-Soldier anymore, feeding off of his friend Zack's stories and memories.

Cloud wrapped his muscular arms around his mother's tiny waist and hugged her tightly. "I missed you, Mom."

He was so caught up in the moment, he even let his mother stroke back and try and flatten out his spiky hair. He found it comforting, and he smiled.

"Ah, Mrs. Strife, nice to meet you." Aeris extended her hand and Cloud's mother happily took it.

"I'm divorced, dear child. You can call me Laura."

Aeris gave another warm smile. "Alright."

"Come on in, I have some nice hot dinner prepared. You can eat and have some nice homely conversation. Afterwards, you two can take a shower. How does that sound?"

Aeris nodded. "Lovely."

Cloud grinned from ear to ear. "That'd be great."

Laura led them inside and had them seated at the square kitchen table.

For the next three hours, Aeris and Cloud ate happily and listened to Laura explain the last five years. Much to Cloud's surprise, it had been very quiet and peaceful lately. No strange fires, no nothing. It had been like this for at least twelve years.

But as he spent more time at his mother's house, the more he began to think about Sephiroth. Was he being probed and examined now? Was he hurt? Crying? He was beginning to regret leaving young Sephiroth alone with his psycho father. Aeris could be wrong and they could return to Shinra HQ to find him dead.

After another hour of peaceful conversation, Cloud announced he was taking a bath and would then go to his old room.

As he walked into the bathroom, fluffy white towel around his waist, he glanced at the large family portrait hanging on the wall. There was Cloud, not more than five years old. He was in his father's arms, laughing and hugging him. His mother and father had their heads leaning against each other, smiling genuinely. Both blondes and both very fit. He had always thought he had gotten all of his looks from his mother, but after seeing his father again after so long…he realized that that wasn't necessarily true. From his father, came the distinct Chocobo Style spiked hair, honest blue eyes, and determined grin.

Cloud sighed and sat on the edge of the bath tub, turning on the cold and warm water. He watched it fill up and measured the temperature with his hand. When he found it suitably lukewarm, he set the towel over its hook and slid into the bath. And it was heaven.

He was so used to showers that a bath felt better than heaven. The mud that was caked on his face, arms, and legs was slowly washed off and pulled down the drain with the special drainer. It drained the dirt and grime, not the water. He sunk deep enough so that only his nose remained above water. His eyes met the bubble soap, and he would have laughed if his mouth had been above water. He rolled his eyes and dumped the bubble solution in thinking, _What the heck? Why not?_

After a long hour in the bubble bath, he got out and dried himself off. He got dressed into the pajamas his mother gave him and went to bed after wishing both Aeris and his mother good night.

That night, he slept well until about 3AM. When he began to smell smoke. He cracked open his eyes, hoping that his mind was just playing games. Nothing seemed to be on fire though. He carefully looked around, but no matter how many times his eyes scanned over the room, everything seemed perfectly fine. With a sigh, he closed his eyes once more, and slowly and uneasily fell asleep.

But within the hour, he was woken again, this time because of the blistering heat coming from nearby. Cloud's eyes snapped open and he jumped out of bed, searching around for the source. The room was perfectly fine, and Cloud stuck his head out of the window. And there…was his greatest nightmare.

He was reliving it. Over, and over, and over again.

The flames rose high into the air, consuming the buildings and eating away at the entire town. Cloud stared, wide eyed.

"How is this happening! Who would want to burn down Nibelheim?"

As Cloud raced out of the room, fear tugged at his heart again, not seeing his mother or Aeris. If he lost his mother again, he didn't think he would be able to bear it.

"Mom! Aeris! Where are you?" He coughed as smoke billowed in through the windows and began filling the room. When they didn't answer, he ran out of the house, still with bare feet.

"Mom!"

Everyone was screaming, trying to evacuate the town. Cloud swallowed dryly and found himself glued to the spot where he stood. "Mother…Aeris…Where are you?" He took a deep breath and darted off into the distance, praying he could save his mother this time.

The fire spread to the entrance of the town, blocking it off. Desperate, the townspeople ran through the flames. They caught fire though, and Cloud knew they were dead in five minutes.

_Why is this happening…Why is this happening? WHY IS THIS HAPPENING AGAIN?_

Cloud could feel the anxiety creeping up on him. He ran into Shinra Mansion, the only building that wasn't on fire.

"I have to find them… I have to find my mother and Aeris!" He burst through the doors and looked around. It was empty.

A distinct melody filled the air though. It was coming from the basement. Blocking out all other noises, Cloud slowly crept to the basement stairs and walked down them carefully, each stair creaking underneath his feet.

**Author's Note:_ Okay, this wasn't the most action-packed chapter at the start... but hey, it's up! And it had a little bit of unexplained action at the very end! By the way, if you like my stories, check out my bio and view my websites, Shadey Leaves Palace, and the review forum place. If you think they're cool, register to the forums! I'd really appreciate it, and it would motivate me to update this story more often!_**


	11. The Travels of Vincent Valentine

**Author's Note:** _Ah, yes, another chapter from me? Why? Well, my bestest friend, username Riyoji Jeremishou updated her ficcy! So, why not return the favor... even though I think she's stopped reading mine. But anyways! Thanks again to all of my special, continuous reviewers! You guys are the best inspiration out there! And more chapters makes you happy, which means more happy reviews! Eheh, sorry about the crappyness of the last chapter. I hope this one is better. Now, off we go to skip around...From the Nibelheim Fire to the wonderful Travels of Vincent Valentine! Yay for Vincent!**

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"Why had I been so thoughtless when I came this way on my own?" He sighed, sliding his red headband off and running his fingers through his silky black hair. "At least with Aeris and her friend, I would have had a decent supply of food." Vincent squinted into the white sunlight that had been inconveniencing him for the past three days. Always his in his face, always making him hot and thirsty. Being thirsty without a single canteen of fresh, icy cool water in this desert of a place was a nightmare.

Besides, he enjoyed the cool dark, and somewhat missed his secret chambers, where he had been tucked away safely in his coffin. Until Professor Hojo had finally discovered his hiding spot. In fact, that was the only reason he had been aiding Professor Hojo. To repay him for finding him, and reassuring him that he could go on without his sweet, beloved Lucrecia.

His claws curled up, as did his other human hand. He mulled over his lifetime, and how much of it had been spent with Lucrecia.

"Lucrecia, my one and only love…Why did you betray me? Such evil, so cleverly hidden within the brightest of all good. The evil consumed you, as the cankerworm consumes the precious plants of the animals. And with your evil, you acted out the greatest evil right before my eyes. You didn't know I watched your meeting with Professor Hojo. You didn't know how terribly you had broken, crushed my heart. You didn't know what Hojo had planned for you…for me. But, alas, it's far too late to dwell on the past, and I suppose I should look forward, towards the future."

Vincent continued his protracted trek for several more hours, until at last, the large buildings of Junon were visible, silhouetted against the devious sun. As he drew nearer, the buildings began to shade him and the hid the sun entirely. Vincent sighed in relief. "Cool at last."

Vincent slid his headband back around his head and adjusted it so it was proper. He then carefully straightened his posture and made his way into the steely industrious city of Junon. Perhaps a few days here would reassure himself that he needn't join Aeris and Cloud at all. But, why shouldn't he help the two? They weren't doing any harm.

"They're just…delusional fools. Feeding off a dream that never happened. President Shinra will never meet his end. We'll be trapped in his web of lies and deceit for the rest of our living days. And we will all die in vain, our attempts to take away his power useless. If only the President had been a bit kinder to the people. But, world domination was all he thought of." Red eyes slowly moved across the city, lingering for a few moments on each innocent, tormented face. He shook his head and whispered softly, "These people do not deserve this. Especially not the children. Children are the innocence of the world."

With meticulous steps, he made his way into the tangled web of a city.

Junon had grown a great deal during the past five years. Once a small fishermen's town, it was now flooded with huge office buildings of all sorts. Drills and hammers could be heard throughout the huge metropolis, further expanding its boundaries. Young children darted around, chasing each other or hiding behind their mother. But they were all starving…not only for food, but for freedom from their oppression, freedom from their miserable lives in Hell.

Vincent slowly made his way through the newly industrialized city of Junon. He saw how poor everyone was, and it pained it to see the dead citizens in the street. Some were from starvation, others were from murdered by bands of thieves. Vincent sighed, slowly moving towards the back ally. He listened to the two distinct voices from a distance, coming from the ally. Which is why he decided he would start there.

"Get off me!" It was a young woman's voice. "I don't have any money!"

"I'm not after your money, lady!" Another female voice, but this one was a teenager. "I want that Materia!"

Vincent listened to the sound of a nasty struggle, quickening his pace.

"GET OFF!" This time it was the younger girl.

Vincent skid over to the scene. "What's going on?"

Two raven haired women were rolling around on the floor of the ally. The younger one kicked over a nearby trashcan in the struggle. But by now, that had resorted to pulling each other's hair.

Vincent pulled the two apart, and the younger girl managed to get a good kick in the older woman's face.

"Hey, hey, hey now. What is the matter, you two?"

"That stupid kid tried to jump me!" The woman shouted.

Both women struggled in his grip. Vincent sighed and held them apart at arm's length.

"Both of you, tell me who you are, calm down, and I might consider not taking you to jail."

"I didn't even do anything wrong, you creep!" the older woman yelled.

"You heard me. Calm down, give me your names."

The teenager sighed, but put on a determined expression. "I'm the Great Ninja Yuffie Kisaragi, best thief there is in Wutai."

"You're one of those soldiers from Wutai then?" Vincent asked rather calmly.

"No, of course not. I think the war is stupid! But I want the Materia to try and stop the war."

"A tiny bit of Materia isn't going to be any use in this war, Ms. Kisargari. You need something more powerful." Vincent looked at the other woman. "Your name?"

"My name is Tifa Lockhart..." she glared darkly at Vincent, "and I own 7th Heaven in Midgar."

"Bars are illegal in Midgar now, you know."

"I know. It's an undercover bar."

"An undercover bar..."

"I just said that. Now put us down!"

Something was tugging on Vincent's brain, something he considered stupid...but he asked Tifa none the less.

"Do you happen to know…A Cloud? Cloud Strife?"

Tifa thought for a long moment. "...how do you know about him? Have you seen him?" She looked eagerly happy.

"Well, yes, I have. But, I need to ask you something else. Does he have any mental problems? Something like that?"

Tifa narrowed her eyes. "Why would you say something like that?"

"He has this strange, very improbable story, Ms. Lockhart. He says…That him…and his friends…saved the world. But none of his friends have any memory of this. I was thinking that he had made it up in his mind and now believes it himself…"

"If Cloud said that, there has to be a logical explanation behind it!"

Vincent sighed. "Then…perhaps we should visit him. He's gone to Nibelheim, but I don't know if he'll still be there."

Yuffie struggled in Vincent's grasp. "Hey! Let me down! I don't know this Cloud, and I most certainly don't want to go with you!"

Vincent smirked. "Well, you see, little Ninja. It's bad for people to be going around jumping innocent people, especially innocent _women_. So, to pay for your crimes—"

"—Crimes? What 'crimes'—"

"—I will take you on Ms. Lockhart's and my own journey to see Cloud again."

"But I don't want to go! Let me go you kidnapper! I'm not an adult yet, you can't do this to me!"

Vincent sighed, shook his head, and set Tifa down. "I feel you may be important in the future. Both of you. Now let's go. To Nibelheim."

**Author's Note: **_Sorry for the late update! Easter weekend and all was crazy. Thanks again for reading another chapter!_


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